We’ve been in Texas since Friday spending time with some really good Mexican friends we consider family. We’re preparing everything for our New Year’s Eve celebration tonight and as I was checking to make sure we had enough grapes for everyone to eat 12 at the stroke of midnight, I started thinking of all the other traditions/superstitions Latinos have related to Año Nuevo.

12 uvas de la suerte

This tradition is originally from Spain, but has been adopted by many Latin American countries including Mexico. Tradition dictates that when the clock strikes midnight, you have to eat 12 grapes and make a wish with each stroke of the clock.

The 12 grapes represent the 12 months of the year and the idea is that by eating a dozen grapes, you’re ensuring the 12 months ahead will be good and prosperous ones.

¡A viajar!

If you want to travel, this is one I remember my mother doing every single year. All you have to do is go for a walk around your neighborhood with your suitcase before the clock strikes midnight. Some recommend you go around the block, but the other option is to cross the street in front of your house with your suitcase. I like this last option better now that I live in Colorado and it’s usually freezing cold on New Year’s Eve.

Green is for dinero

Many Latinos believe strongly that the color underwear they wear on December 31 will dictate the kind of luck they’ll have in the New Year. If you’re looking to attract love you need to wear red underwear.

For good luck or to attract money you better be wearing yellow. Although in some countries green is more closely associated with financial well-being and yellow with positive energy. I figure it doesn’t hurt, so why not?

Sweeping away todo lo malo

Nothing worse than starting the new year surrounded by negative energy. Hence, many people believe in sweeping the entrance to their home to get rid of it. Others put dollar bills near their front door and sweep them inwards to assure prosperity and financial good luck.

Others don’t sweep, but they fill a bucket or glass of water, open their front door and throw it out. The idea is the same: get rid of any bad energy and start the year as clean as possible.

I’ve never done this one, but maybe I should — especially the one with the dollar bills!

What New Year’s Eve traditions do you have?

{Photo by GoodNCrazy}

Miren, lo que vamos a hacer es esto. Vamos a compartir primero un poco de cómo nos fue el año pasado. Y después, cada uno va a decir lo que espera del año que viene.

That would be my youngest daughter speaking, a natural organizer who believes strongly in the power of reflection, sharing, family and language. We were in a small town south of Lima, Peru ringing in 2012. At her direction (yes, that really was her tone), all of us – friends and family from many countries and generations – offered thoughts on the year that was ending and our wishes for the one to come. It was a perfect way to end the year and start another.

New Year’s Eve is a wonderful opportunity to share our memories and our hopes with people who are important to us. If your child speaks Spanish or is learning Spanish, it is also an opportunity to use the language in a supportive environment.

Not every family has someone as dedicated to organizing a group as my daughter is, so I made a printable activity to help you get started. To fill some of the time before midnight and make the sharing process easier, kids (and adults too) can write answers to the questions. Then the group shares their thoughts.

Click here to print the New Year’s activity.

Here are a few tips for using the activity with Spanish language learners:

- Before you start, point out to kids that most of the questions can be answered with one or two words such as a place, a person’s name or a verb.
- Make sure that children understand the prompts. Focus on key words like lugar interesante, feliz, and triste. Give examples to make the meaning clear.
- Encourage kids to write their answers. Even if they know what they plan to say, writing it will help them process the meaning of the question and their answer more deeply. It will also come in handy when it is their turn to share if they forget what they were going to say.
- Modeling is important. Fill out your own sheet as your child does hers. Read the prompts out loud and talk about your answers as you record them. Encourage other family members and friends to participate too.
- When you are ready to share your answers, choose a time and place without too many distractions.
- If you have a number of people, you can draw names, go around the room or go from youngest to oldest to determine who speaks next.
- Everyone does not have to share everything. Start with one prompt for everyone. Then go on to another. Jump to a hope for the coming year if the group starts to get restless.

Children learning Spanish need the chance to speak the language with different people and in different situations. Filling out the New Year’s activity lets them think about what they are going to say and ensures that they will be able to participate successfully. Their answers also makes a great keepsake; years from now, they will be a fun way to remember 2012.

Special thanks to Spanish Playground for providing this activity. Visit their site for more activities to teach Spanish to kids.